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Partnership to address manufacturing skills gap in Louisville area

A new industry-education partnership announced today between the Greater Louisville
chapter of the Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (KYFAME) and
Jefferson Community and Technical College will combine classroom and work experiences
to create a pipeline of technology-savvy employees for the region s advanced manufacturing
industry. Qualifying students will work and learn, earning valuable on-the-job training
and an associate degree with little to no education debt.

Introduced by GE Appliances President and CEO Chip Blankenship at JCTC, the partnership
was initiated by a group of area manufacturers who wanted to ensure that area educational
institutions, local governments and other groups understood and responded to the urgent
need area manufacturers have for trained employees to fill positions in today s expanding
high-tech manufacturing sector.

Together, the Greater Louisville Chapter of KYFAME and JCTC will implement the Advanced
Manufacturing Technician Program (AMT), a work-study education program founded by
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky that now is used by multiple manufacturers who
are part of the statewide KYFAME organization announced earlier this month by Gov.
Steve Beshear.

We expect the AMT program to emerge as a part of the solution to bridge the industrial
skills gap, Blankenship said. It will provide industry with the skilled workforce
it needs, provide a way for students to earn an associate degree and offer graduates
of the program access to lucrative, rewarding careers or a stepping stone to continue
their education and earn a four-year degree.

The partnership grew from a clarion call by local industry in April 2014 that educators
were not meeting the new needs of manufacturers. In a document called A Blueprint
for Bridging the Industrial Skills Gap, prepared by several industry representatives,
area manufacturers declared the needs of industry have changed. The preparation of
workers has not.

Nationally, manufacturers estimated that 600,000 jobs go unfilled because skilled
workers cannot be found for these types of jobs. Salaries for the mid-skilled employees
often range from $30,000 to $80,000 a year. At the time, Blankenship said We at
GE are placing big bets on the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing right here in
Louisville. A skilled, ready-to-work, productive workforce is key to winning, but
we can t do it alone.

The blueprint outlined a three-part plan to overcome the challenge, with the AMT program
at its core.

Students who participate in the AMT program will work toward an Associate in Applied
Science degree in Advanced Manufacturing Technology at JCTC. They will attend class
and participate in lab work for two days a week and will work for a sponsor company
at a competitive wage the other three days.

At the end of the 5 semester program, students will emerge with an associate degree,
68 to71 college credit hours, about 1,800 hours of on-the-job training and work experience,
little if any education debt, and the opportunity for full-time employment with a
sponsor company. Or, if they choose, they can continue their education and pursue
a four-year degree.

Students will be expected to master multiple skills, including electricity, robotics,
fluid power, mechanics, fabrication, industrial troubleshooting and more.

They will be exposed to the Manufacturing Core Exercises, which prepare students to
contribute to a safe and highly efficient, cost effective workplace. These include
Safety Culture, Visual Workplace Organization, Lean Manufacturing, Problem Solving
and Machine Reliability. They also will learn the Six Professional Behaviors: Work
Attendance, Initiative, Diligence, Interpersonal Relations, Teamwork and Verbal and
Written Communication.

The Greater Louisville chapter of KYFAME also will begin to reach out to students
as early as middle school to build both interest in and skill sets for manufacturing.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, whose vision for the city includes increasing the number
of high growth, high wage manufacturing jobs, said, Creating a pipeline of highly
skilled employees is absolutely essential for our city and region to compete in a
global economy. This focused partnership and the hands-on training will help us meet
the goals of our BEAM initiative to maximize our existing strengths and take advanced
manufacturing to a much higher level.

JCTC President Tony Newberry said the KYFAME model bears similarity to a partnership
the college enjoys with Toyota Motor Sales in automotive technology, where students
gain classroom and actual work experience. JCTC s program has been recognized as the
nation s leading Toyota training program.

We believe our experience, highly qualified faculty, and desire to meet the needs
of both our employers and students make us a valuable partner, he said.

While the KY FAME program will launch at the college s Technical Campus near downtown
Louisville, JCTC has included a $46.5 million Advanced Manufacturing/Automotive Technology
Center among its capital priorities. Once funded, the Center will be built along South
First Street, adjacent to the Downtown Campus on Broadway.